fate has tortured us for too long
by skibagrant
Summary: Bilbo concluded that dwarves were odd creatures. They were fiercely protective and Bilbo even thought he might actually harbor some form of affection for the lot of them, yet Thorin just got under his skin.
1. Chapter 1

Note: Hey everyone! I'm new to this pairing, so it makes me incredibly nervous to post this. I do hope it is okay. I appreciate reviews so please please please leave some.

He noticed it first after that nasty incident with the trolls—dreadful things—with the sudden, yet not completely unwelcome company of a different dwarf every hour. Bilbo understood what that meant; Thorin thought him a liability and rather than feel responsible for Bilbo's all but inevitable death, took great precautions in preventing such events. He supposed he should be grateful for being looked after, yet he could not help but be mildly annoyed.

"Penny for your thoughts, Bilbo?"

The hobbit scratched his head and sighed. "Nothing important Bofur, nothing to worry about at all."

Bofur looked at him knowingly and smiled slightly. "He likes you."

Bilbo shook his head with a confused smile. "I'm sorry, who?"

The dwarf cocked his head and laughed, a smile gracing his face. "Well, my watch is over. I'll send Kili over as soon as possible; Pleasure speaking with you, Master Baggins." He bowed clumsily before heading to the other side of the camp.

Bilbo concluded that dwarves were odd creatures. They were fiercely protective and Bilbo even thought he might actually harbor some form of affection for the lot of them, yet Thorin just got under his skin. It wasn't something he could easily explain—the roll of his eyes, the barely masked disdain in his voice—normally Bilbo would get over it but something inside him—he reckoned it was all that Took blood from his mother—that just simply would not let it go.

Footsteps knocked Bilbo out of his head and caused him to pay slightly more attention to his surroundings. "Kili?" His voice sounded wary and his hand rested on sting, ready to attack if the opportunity presented itself. The footsteps sounded farther away than before, and Bilbo's curiosity struck him. He whispered to himself, "Well, I've got to follow it. Wouldn't want some random beast attacking camp now would I?"

Bilbo followed the sound of feet hitting the leaves; whoever he was following was not graceful or they simply didn't care if they were heard. The thought put fear into his heart—what if Orcs had found them or even worse—what if Thorin and the others just left him in the middle of nowhere, not caring what happened to the lone hobbit?

Being alone he realized, terrified him more than an army of orcs or a fight with a mighty dragon.

"Uncle! What are you thinking!"

Kili's voice startled him from his thoughts. "I agree with Kili, Uncle. Something is seriously not right with how you're treating our burglar."

'_Our burglar'?_ Bilbo walked up to a clearing and saw Thorin with his two nephews around a fire. The dwarf-King's arms were crossed in displeasure—Fili and Kili looked as if they were attempting to plead with him. Bilbo leaned against a tree to stay hidden from the three dwarves and listened intently to the secret conversation.

"Our burglar? I wasn't aware that you had ownership over the Halfling." Thorin sounded cocky, but then again he always did.

Fili sighed and raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, if you want to be in a miserable state for the rest of this journey, then go ahead and continue what you are doing. I will no longer attempt to stop you." The dwarf walked away from the fire and started to walk back towards the main encampment.

"Please Uncle, you must see reason." Kili's voice sounded desperate. "If you continue to treat him like he's a worthless halfwit he will leave."

Thorin sighed before he spoke. "I suppose we wouldn't want that. You two seem oddly attached to him."

In an instant Kili's normally relaxed features flickered with anger before he let out a loud sigh. "Believe what you want, Thorin, but Fili and I are no fools. You may have convinced the others that you do not harbor some feelings for Bilbo—"

"I do not."

"Let me finish! You deny things before I have explained my reasoning."

Thorin looked displeased. "I deny things because there is no truth behind your 'reasoning'."

"Right, Uncle. I'm late for my watch of your Halfling." Kili walked by Bilbo's hiding spot, leaving an annoyed Thorin by the fire. "Kili! I want you to come to me at the first whisper of trouble!"

Kili's footsteps stopped precariously close to Bilbo's hiding spot and he heard the young dwarf growl slightly. "Yes of course!" He yelled, but under his breath he muttered "Stubborn old oaf. Won't listen to any sort of reason." Bilbo listened to Kili's heavy footsteps until they were out of earshot then he left his hiding spot to sneak back to camp.

He didn't want to know the possible consequences if Thorin found him eavesdropping.


	2. Chapter 2

Guilt, Bilbo found was a useless emotion, and unfortunately it was one that Bagginses were quite good at cultivating. He knew there was no real reason to be consumed by the emotion—it was not Bilbo's fault that Thorin Oakenshield had to have secret meetings in the middle of the night that anybody could wander into—and yet he could not help but feel that he had broken some unspoken rule.

Bilbo had managed to get back to camp before any of the dwarves noticed he was gone—which, once he thought about it, was mildly disconcerting—and attempted to relax. Snippets of past conversation stuck out in his mind; _'He likes you'_ and _'your burglar'. _The thought of Thorin caring for him in more than the platonic sense made him slightly uncomfortable, though it was not entirely unwelcome. It was a compliment to be admired by someone, though a bit odd.

"Oh hello, Mister Bilbo!" Kili stepped over to him, a giant smile on his face. "What shall we talk about today?"

Bilbo did not mind having conversations with Kili—he was by far one of the nicest beings Bilbo had had the pleasure of speaking with—but today he wanted to grab the dwarf by the shoulders and ask him just what in the hell they meant when speaking with Thorin. Instead, he smiled lightly and said, "How are you today, Master Dwarf?"

"Oh please, drop the formalities. It's not like Thorin can hear us." Kili sighed as he sat next to Bilbo, staring at the wilderness that surrounded them. "I'm sorry about my oaf of an Uncle," Kili said, his voice quiet. "He really is much nicer than he seems—he's just a selfish man about some things."

Bilbo raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Some things?"

The dwarf laughed. "Fair enough, he is selfish about most things, but he does care about those that follow him."

Bilbo didn't answer; rather he chose to sit in silence his head in his hands. He did not want to think of Thorin at the present moment, but Kili seemed intent on having Bilbo hear the apology. The hobbit sighed and shook his head, effectively ending the conversation. Kili placed a hand on his shoulder. "Right, I'm going to eat some of that stuff that Nori calls food." He walked away, leaving Bilbo to his thoughts.

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He had barely closed his eyes when the sun had risen; instead of pleasant dreams of home and familiar faces, he heard the grunts and movements of dwarves. Bilbo sighed as he forced himself awake, rubbing his eyes whilst slowly moving into a sitting position.

"You alright there?" Roused from his thoughts, Bilbo looked up into the face of Balin. He did not mind the older dwarf—he was the first one who gave him a chance when he first joined the traveling party—however, at this point in time he wished to be left alone.

Placing a hand over his face, Bilbo waved a hand signifying he was fine. "Right, laddie. It's time to get up. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

Bilbo groaned and cursed. "Dwarves." He stood turning his back to the elder dwarf while he started cleaning his area of camp. "Bloody creatures; putting ideas into my head." He threw his blanket into a ball. "No good, the lot of them." He felt a presence behind him and assumed it was Balin. Not really in the mood to spare any feelings, Bilbo continued his rant. "Wasting my bloody time—to think I felt bad for the lot! Pah! Should have stayed home."

He heard a cough behind him, but paid it no mind. "No point in me really being here anyway." Bilbo scratched the back of his head, his bedding finally neatly folded. "I've got a weapon that I have no idea how to use and I'm permanently stuck on the run option when it comes to anything mildly life-threatening." He sighed and turned around, facing the presence that had remained silent.

What Bilbo saw, he was not exactly expecting.

No one other than Thorin Oakenshield was standing behind him, the dwarves hand behind his back a rare emotion on his face. Bilbo could not exactly decipher it—but it reminded him of pain. However, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone replaced by a solemn expression.

"O-oh, Thorin hello." Bilbo forced a smile, his hand behind his head.

"I was going to ask if you needed assistance with anything," He paused. "However, I see that my services are not needed. You might want to speed up your packing, we are leaving shortly." He turned, walking away without another word from the hobbit.

"Right." Slightly mortified, Bilbo rubbed his hands over his face and breathed deeply.

Another long day began.


End file.
